Shicha Sea.
A sea of clouds cascaded down, brilliant sunlight piercing the cloud layers.
Two eagles circled beneath the white clouds, sometimes flying into the distance, sometimes returning.
A figure rode a sword through the air, the lustrous short sword slicing through the mild currents.
A thin, translucent silver-white gleam flickered in midair, sweeping up the swirling wind as it flew into the distance.
They were still stacked one atop another.
Li Ping'an stood on the blade.
He carried Old Ox on his back, with a pretty cat standing on Old Ox's head.
A gentle breeze brushed past Kitten's ears.
Her hat veil blew backward, and her fur swayed ceaselessly in the wind.
Kitten blinked, her clear eyes looking all the softer and brighter, like amber.
They descended through the clouds.
Her gaze fell on the boundless earth as she looked down from the sky.
Everything on the ground lay in full view.
Everything within sight was tiny and far away.
"Kitten can fly!"
Kitten spread her front paws and opened her mouth.
"Ah~"
A gust of wind rushed in.
Directly ahead stood Shicha Sea's grand hall, atop Heaven-Reaching Peak.
The green mountains were emerald-bright, the temples imposing, jade filling the sky.
Clouds and mist wreathed the surroundings, and a bell tower was visible.
"Where are we now?"
Shicha Sea lay on an isolated island in the southern part of Central Province.
The island was small and sparsely populated, yet talented people emerged in every generation.
Five imposing peaks rose upon it.
"Central Province? Isn't Big Ping'an and Oxie's hometown here?"
"Mm."
"Then can we meet all those friends Oxie talked about?" Kitten asked curiously. "That pretty Empress, that Jing Yu who likes visiting pleasure houses, and that poor monk..."
"Mm, I haven't seen them in a long time either."